Before I forget, I want to make another suggestion to get a Google+ account for yourself. Our Zilbert brand page can be found at https://plus.google.com/110430683787670654888, and please make sure you add us to your Google+ circles. Next month I will be publishing a quick note to everyone on why Google+ is becoming very important. But for now, get your Google+ account set up (free, of course), and add us to your circles. We will add you back!

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE: ZILBERT WELCOMES JOSEPH SCHAFER
We are pleased to welcome Joseph Schafer to the Zilbert team. Joseph is part of our aggressive recruitment program, taking place right now. We have great, great things happening this year, so stay tuned for further announcements. You can read more about Joseph Schafer in today’s Press Release.

LOOK. WE DID IT AGAIN.
Some of you are asking about one of our recent Il Villaggio condo listings. We put a $2.495M property on the market. In about 12 days, we sold it. There is a reason that we are able to do this, and that’s part of our innovative, new 2012 marketing platform. Our condo and home sales programs are working very well, so if you have that luxury property that needs to sell quickly and at top dollar, we may be able to help. We are doing some very innovative things this year, and they appear to be working.

AM I THE LAST OF THE BLACKBERRY DIEHARDS?
Folks, last week, I did the unthinkable. I bought an iPhone. This wasn’t the first time. When the iPhone 3 came out, I bought it. Then, I returned it. I simply couldn’t give up my trusted Blackberry. And, just a few months ago, I purchased my new baby, the Blackberry 9900, with both a keyboard and touch-screen. I thought I was in heaven. But, this morning, I am sitting with my iPhone and my Blackberry on my desk. Sadly to say, today is the day that I put my trusted Blackberry in the drawer of my desk, forever. Why? Well, as much as the tactile keyboard and BBM messenger has been a very important part of my day, the world is changing around me. While my Blackberry was the mobile answer to e-mail and instant messaging, our daily culture has changed. Social media, productivity apps, geolocation and other features are competing for our mindshare…and winning. Even Google’s search engine is changing to favor people and websites who interact via social networks. In a nutshell, we are becoming a culture that demands to be mobile without limiting our ability to interact with eachother. And, this, my friends, if what makes the iPhone the tool of choice. Sure, Android devices are on a similar path, and Blackberry will reorganize itself to address these needs. But, the device of the day appears to be the iPhone. I’d be very interested to hear your comments and stories. I already miss my Blackberry, but my iPhone is keeping me engaged enough to, for now at least, not think about keyboards, flashing LED indicators or quick-and-secure BBM.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE COMPLETE PROPERTY LISTS?
See Zilbert’s Weekly Showcase:  http://www.zilbert.com/showcase.asp

See Miami Beach’s 100 newest properties listed for sale: http://www.zilbert.com/100_newest_listings.asp

See Miami Beach’s 100 most-recent properties sold: http://www.zilbert.com/100_most_recent_sales.asp

See Miami Beach’s most-expensive properties sold: http://www.zilbert.com/100_most_expensive_sales.asp

Properties shown above are selected from the Southeast Florida MLS, and represent condos and homes listed with individual brokers, not necessarily Zilbert International Realty. Click on each link to see a property detail report, including the name of the listing broker.

* * * * *

ZILBERT INTERNATIONAL REALTY RECENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

We have made a number of announcements recently, and in case you missed them, here are some links to pages on our sites that outline the details of our announcements.

The Zilbert Realty Store: We are opening the first in a series of retail stores that offer a real estate buying and learning experience to our customers. Visit our announcement page for more details: http://www.zilbert.com/store

The Zilbert Hiring Campaign: We are doubling our staff this year, and we are looking for the best-of-the-best talent, REALTORS and BROKERS to join our staff. See how we are one of the most-progressive employers in real estate: http://www.zilbert.com/join

Zilbert Headquarters For Sale: The Zilbert Realty Store will be our new headquarters, and we are selling our existing headquarters site, an office condo suite on Lincoln Road. We are selling our office with everything, KNOLL furniture, Xerox WorkCentre, Nortel Phone System, FOB-door access, camera system plus much more. Everything is included. So, it’s a great way to move into an office that’s ready to go! And, for investors, this makes a great opportunity to purchase an income property. The office is a condo suite within an office condo building, which gives you the benefit of ownership without the expense burden of a whole building. You even get nightly housekeeping as part of your condo maintenance fee. I have put details and photos on our website here: http://www.zilbert.com/605lincoln230.asp

Let me know if you have any questions. Brokers are also welcomed!

Mr. Shafer most-recently was employed by Gary Hennes Realtors in Miami Beach, where he was a top-producing real estate sales associate.  He specialized in condo-conversion sales and real estate in the Venetian Islands area of Miami Beach.  Prior to real estate, he worked in his native Minneapolis, Minnesota, as a retail buyer for the Target Corporation.

Mr. Schafer is a member of the National Association of Realtors®, the Florida Association of Realtors® and the Miami Association of Realtors®.  In his spare time, he enjoys volunteering at local organizations, and participates at the Miami Rescue Mission and the Miami VA Hospital.

ABOUT ZILBERT INTERNATIONAL REALTY

Zilbert International Realty is full-service premium real estate brokerage that works with clients from around the world. It works with both buyers and sellers, and specializes in South Florida luxury estates, condos, homes and vacation properties from the greater Miami area up to the Palm Beaches.  Through its alliance with the Who’s Who of Luxury Real Estate and LuxuryRealEstate.com, its global reach extends to over 70,000 real estate professionals in over 85 countries.  Collectively, Zilbert and its network partners sell over $190B annually.

The company’s website, www.Zilbert.com is a popular tool for its customers, with over 50,000 visitors each month, and over 10,000 properties that are updated continuously.

Zilbert’s sales associates are an elite team of real estate professionals, recruited through a specialized, invitation-only selection process.  The company is also a leader in the use of technology and social media to help it engage with its clients.  Its core business philosophy is to build personalized, one-on-one relationships with buyers and sellers of real estate, and to partner with them through every stage of a real estate transaction.  Its People-and-Technology approach to the real estate market enables it to provide an exceptionally-high level of customer service and customer satisfaction.

Zilbert International Realty was founded in 2003 by Montreal-born Mark Zilbert, a technology innovator who realized almost a decade ago that to prosper in real estate would require a strong adoption of technology.  Having worked for such customer-focused technology companies such as Siebel Systems (now part of Oracle Corp.), Mr. Zilbert embraced technology and real estate, and developed tools to help buyers and sellers of real estate understand and engage in real estate transactions.  Mr. Zilbert has appeared on numerous national news programs including ABC’s 20/20, CNBC, CBS’ Morning Show, ABC’s Nightline.  He has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal.

The firm offers a number of ways for its customers to interact with it. Its traditional business operation offers buyers and sellers of real estate access to sales professionals via its offices, by telephone, on the web, and in person.  Its new Zilbert Realty Store is a retail-like shopping experience where buyers can interact with professional sales associates in a casual setting.

Reid Hoffman travels with several devices so that he can constantly stay in touch.

FORTUNE — Forget Dale Carnegie. He understood how important connections were, but missed out on the authenticity part — which, say Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha, authors of The Start-Up of You, is the key to building a truly helpful professional network. Here’s how to leverage that network into the career you only dreamed of.

Many people are turned off by the topic of networking. They think it’s slimy, inauthentic. Picture the consummate networker: a high-energy fast talker who collects as many business cards as he can and attends mixers sporting slicked-back hair. Or the overambitious college kid who frantically e-mails alumni, schmoozes with the board of trustees, and adds anyone he’s ever met as an online friend. Such people are drunk on networking Kool-Aid — and are looking at a potentially nasty hangover.

Luckily, building your network doesn’t have to be like that. Old-school networkers are transactional. They pursue relationships thinking solely about what other people can do for them. Relationship builders, on the other hand, try to help others first. They don’t keep score. And they prioritize high-quality relationships over a large number of connections.

Building a genuine relationship with another person depends on at least two abilities. The first is seeing the world from another person’s perspective. No one knows that better than the skilled entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs succeed when they make stuff people will pay money for — and that means understanding what’s going on in the heads of customers. Likewise, in relationships it’s only when you put yourself in the other person’s shoes that you begin to develop an honest connection.

The second ability is being able to think about how you can collaborate with and help the other person rather than thinking about what you can get. We’re not suggesting that you be so saintly that a self-interested thought never crosses your mind. What we’re saying is that your first move should always be to help. A study on negotiation found that a key difference between skilled and average negotiators was the time spent searching for shared interests and asking questions of the other person.

Follow that model. Start with a friendly gesture and genuinely mean it. Dale Carnegie’s classic book on relationships, despite all its wisdom, has the unfortunate title How to Win Friends and Influence People. This makes Carnegie widely misunderstood. You don’t “win” a friend. A friend is not an asset you own; a friend is an ally, a collaborator. When you can tell that someone is attempting sincerity, it leaves you cold. It is like the feeling you have when someone calls you by your first name repeatedly in conversation. Novelist Jonathan Franzen gets it right when he says inauthentic people are obsessed with authenticity.

Strengthen your alliances

The best way to engage with new people is not by cold calling or by “networking” with strangers at cocktail parties, but by working with the people you already know. Of the many types of professional relationships, among the most important are your close allies. Most professionals maintain five to 10 active alliances. What makes a relationship an alliance? First, an ally is someone you consult regularly for advice. Second, you proactively share and collaborate on opportunities together. You keep your antennae attuned to an ally’s interests, and when it makes sense to pursue something jointly, you do. Third, you talk up an ally. You promote his or her brand. Finally, when an ally runs into conflict, you defend him and stand up for his reputation, and he does the same for you.

I [Reid] first met Mark Pincus while at PayPal in 2002. I was giving him advice on a startup he was working on. From our first conversation, I felt inspired by Mark’s wild creativity and how he seems to bounce off the walls with energy. I’m more restrained, preferring to fit ideas into strategic frameworks instead of unleashing them fire-hose-style. But it’s our similar interests and vision that have made our collaborations so successful.

We invested in Friendster together in 2002. In 2003 the two of us bought the Six Degrees patent, which covers some of the foundational technology of social networking. Mark then started his own social network, Tribe; I started LinkedIn (LNKD). When Peter Thiel and I were set to put the first money into Facebook in 2004, I suggested that Mark take half of my investment allocation. I wanted to involve Mark in any opportunity that seemed intriguing, especially one that played to his social networking background. In 2007, Mark called me to talk about his idea for Zynga (ZNGA), the social gaming company he co-founded and now leads. I knew almost immediately that I wanted to invest and join the board, which I did. An alliance is always an exchange, but not a transactional one. A transactional relationship is when your accountant files your tax returns and you pay him for his time.

An alliance is when a co-worker needs last-minute help on Sunday night preparing for a Monday morning presentation, and even though you’re busy, you agree to go over to his house and help. You cooperate and sacrifice because you want to help a friend in need but also because you figure you’ll be able to call on him in the future when you are the one in a bind. That isn’t being selfish; it’s being human.

The diversity of weak ties

Allies, by the nature of the bond, are few in number. By contrast, there are potentially hundreds or thousands of looser connections that also play a role in your professional life. These are the folks you meet at conferences, old classmates, co-workers, or just interesting people. Sociologists refer to these contacts as “weak ties”: people with whom you have spent low amounts of low-intensity time but with whom you’re still friendly.

Reprinted from The Start-Up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career. © 2012 by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha. Published by Crown Business, a division of Random House, Inc.

Weak ties in a career context were formally researched in 1973, when sociologist Mark Granovetter asked a random sample of professionals how they had found their new job. It turns out that 82% of them found their position through a contact they saw only occasionally or rarely. In other words, the contacts who referred jobs were “weak ties.” Granovetter accounts for this result by explaining that your good friends tend to be from the same industry, neighborhood, religious group, etc. Consequently, their information is similar to yours — a job a good friend knows about, you probably already know about too.

Weak ties, however, usually sit outside the inner circle. Thus, there’s a greater likelihood that a weak tie will be exposed to new information or a new job opportunity you’d otherwise miss. To be sure, weak ties are uniquely helpful so long as they hail from a different social circle or industry niche and therefore bring new information and opportunities. A weak-tie acquaintance whose job and background is identical to yours is unlikely to offer unique network intelligence. So when connecting with acquaintances, prioritize diversity in order to broaden the overall reach of your network.

Just as a digital camera cannot store an infinite number of photos and videos, you cannot maintain an infinite number of allies or acquaintances. The maximum number of relationships we can realistically manage — the number that can fit on the memory card, as it were — is described as Dunbar’s Number, after the evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar. In the early 1990s, Dunbar studied the social connections within groups of monkeys and apes. He theorized that the maximum size of their overall social group was limited by the small size of their neocortex. Based on our neocortex size, Dunbar calculated that humans should be able to maintain relationships with roughly 150 people at a time. He also found that many businesses and military groups organize their people into cliques of about 150. Hence, Dunbar’s Number of 150.

There is indeed a limit to the number of relationships you can maintain, but a crucial qualifier is that there is not one blunt limit of 150; in fact, there are different limits for different types of relationships. Think back to the digital camera. Either you can take low-resolution photographs and store 100 of them in total, or you can take high-resolution photographs and store 40. In relationships, you may have only a few close buddies you see every day, yet you can stay in touch with many distant friends if you e-mail them only once or twice a year. But there’s a twist: You can actually maintain a much broader social network than the people you currently “know.”

Three degrees of separation

Your allies, weak ties, and the other people you know right now are your first-degree connections. But your friends know people you don’t know. These friends of friends are your second-degree connections. And those friends of friends have friends — those are your third-degree connections.

Stanley Milgram’s and Duncan Watts’s “small world” research shows the planet Earth as one massive social network; every human being is connected to every other via no more than about six intermediaries. Academically the theory is correct, but when it comes to meeting people who can help you professionally, three degrees of separation is what matters. Three degrees is the magic number because when you’re introduced to a second- or third-degree connection, at least one person personally knows the origin or target person. That’s how trust is preserved.

Suppose you have 40 connections, and assume that each friend has 35 other friends in turn, and each of those friends of friends has 45 unique friends of his own. If you do the math (40 × 35 × 45), that’s 63,000 people you can reach via an introduction. People’s extended networks are frequently larger than they realize, which is why an early tagline at LinkedIn was “Your network is bigger than you think.” So how do you actually reach those connections? Via an introduction from someone you know, who knows the person you want to reach.

I receive about 50 entrepreneur pitches by e-mail every day. I have never funded a company directly from a cold solicitation, and my guess is that I never will. When an entrepreneur comes referred by introduction, it’s as if he has a passport at a national border — he can walk right through, because someone I trust has already vetted that entrepreneur. Anytime you want to meet a new person in your extended network, you should ask for an introduction. You need to ask, directly and specifically, and you do need to present a compelling reason for why your connection should do it: “I’d love to meet Rebecca because she works in the technology industry.” Not good enough. “I’m interested in talking to Rebecca because my company is looking to partner with companies just like hers.” Better, as it appears to benefit both parties.

OkCupid, a free online dating site, analyzed more than 500,000 first messages between a man or a woman and a potential suitor. They found that those with the highest response rates included phrases like “You mention …” or “I noticed that …” In other words, phrases that showed that the person had carefully read the other’s profile. People do this in online dating, but when it comes to professional correspondence, it doesn’t happen. People send out appallingly unresearched and generic requests. If you spend 30 minutes researching a person’s professional profile, your request will stand out. For example, “I noticed you spent a summer working at a German architecture firm. I once worked for an ad agency in Berlin and am thinking about returning — perhaps we could swap notes about business opportunities?”

You can conceptualize and map your network all you want, but if you can’t effectively request and broker introductions, it adds up to a lot of nothing. Take it seriously. If you are not receiving or making at least one introduction a month, you are probably not fully engaging your extended professional network.

The best network: Wide and (selectively) deep

Several years ago sociologist Brian Uzzi did a study of why certain Broadway musicals made between 1945 and 1989 were successful and others flopped. The explanation he arrived at had to do with the people behind the productions. For failed productions, one of two extremes was common. The first was a collaboration between creative artists and producers who tended to all know one another. When there were mostly strong ties, the production lacked the fresh, creative insights that come from diverse experience. The other type of failed production was one in which none of the artists had experience working together. When the group was made up of mostly weak ties, teamwork and group cohesion suffered.

Reid Hoffman gets ready to start a colony with The Settlers of Catan.

In contrast, the social networks of the people behind successful productions had a healthy balance: There were some strong ties, some weak ties. There was some established trust, but also enough new blood in the system to generate new ideas. Think of your network of relationships in the same way: The best professional network is both narrow/deep (allies with whom you collaborate regularly) and wide/ shallow (weak-tie acquaintances who offer fresh information and ideas).

Giving helpful help

The best way to strengthen a relationship is to do something for another person. But how? Here’s a good example. When Jack Dorsey was co-founding Square — the mobile-payments company — he had loads of investor interest. Digg and Milk founder Kevin Rose had seen a prototype of the Square device and immediately realized the potential. When he asked Jack whether there was room for another person to join the initial funding round, Jack told him it was full. But Kevin still wanted to be helpful. He noticed that Square didn’t have a demo on its website showing how the device worked. So he put together a high-definition video and then showed it to Jack. Impressed, Jack turned around and invited Kevin to invest in the Series A round of financing.

To be truly helpful, as Kevin was, you need to have a sense of your friend’s values and priorities. What keeps him up at 2 a.m.? What are his talents? His challenges? Once you understand his needs, think about offering him a small gift. A small gift is something that’s easy for you to give, unique to the relationship, and unusually helpful for the other person. Classic small gifts include relevant information, introductions, and advice. A really expensive big gift is actually counterproductive — it can feel like a bribe. When deciding what to give, reflect on your unique experiences and capabilities. What might you have that the other person does not?

My passion for entrepreneurship and my interest in board game design led me to introduce many of my entrepreneur friends to the German board game The Settlers of Catan.

Set up an “interesting people” fund

Relationships are living, breathing things. Feed, nurture, and care about them; they grow. Neglect them; they die. You might be nodding your head at the importance of staying in touch. But behavioral change isn’t easy. That’s why Steve Garrity budgeted and precommitted real time and money to it.

Garrity studied computer science at Stanford and interned at startups over the summers. After graduating from a master’s program in 2005, he was convinced that he wanted to start a tech company of his own in Silicon Valley. But he had spent his entire adult life in the Bay Area and was worried that he would be tied down to one location for many more years. So he took a job as an engineer at Microsoft (MSFT) to work on its mobile-search technology.

Garrity had one big worry: What would happen to his network of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and friends? He knew he would someday move back to start a company. He did not want his local network to become stale. So he set aside time and money in advance to keep his network up-to-date.

The state of Washington doesn’t tax personal (or corporate) income, so Garrity figured he was saving a meaningful amount of money by living there. Upon moving to Seattle, he declared that $7,000 of his savings would be “California money.” Anytime someone interesting in the Valley invited him to lunch, dinner, or coffee, Garrity would fly to San Francisco to do the meeting. One of his old Stanford professors called him, not realizing he had left town, and invited him over to meet some interesting students. The following evening, he arrived at the professor’s house, suitcase in hand. Because he had allocated money, he didn’t have to worry about the cost of flights or the stress of decision-making.

Over his 31/2 years at Microsoft, Garrity visited the Bay Area at least once a month. After returning to California in 2009, he started a company, Hearsay Labs, with a friend whose couch had served as his bed during his regular pilgrimages to the Bay Area from Seattle. It shows the power of what we call Iwe: Your capabilities and potential get magnified exponentially by an active, up-to-date network.

Reid’s rules

In the next day: Look at your calendar for the past six months and identify the five people you spend the most time with — are you happy with their influence on you?

In the next week: Introduce two people who do not know each other but ought to. Then think about a challenge you face and ask for an introduction to a connection in your network who could help.

Imagine you got laid off from your job today. Who are the 10 people you’d e-mail for advice? Don’t wait — invest in those relationships now.

In the next month: Identify a weaker tie with whom you’d like to build an alliance. Help him by giving him a small gift — forward an article or job posting.

Create an “interesting people fund” to which you automatically funnel a certain percentage of your paycheck. Use it to pay for coffees and the occasional plane ticket to meet new people and shore up existing relationships.

–Reid Hoffman is a partner at Greylock and founder and executive chairman at LinkedIn. Ben Casnocha is an award-winning entrepreneur and author.

This article is from the February 6, 2012 issue of Fortune.

By Peter Zalewski
Special To The Miami Herald

As difficult as it may seem to fathom, given the current macroeconomic data plaguing South Florida, indications are growing that the luxury condo resale market in Miami-Dade County is back — at least for the time being.

Foreign buyers with strong currencies complemented by a scattering of wealthy domestic purchasers acquired more $1 million condos in 2011 than in the last year of the South Florida real estate boom in 2006, according to an analysis of data from the Southeast Florida Shared Multiple Listing Service Database.

Buyers purchased nearly 590 condos for at least $1 million each in 2011 after acquiring less than 500 high-priced units in 2006.

On a year-over-year basis, the 2011 luxury condo resale activity represents a 29 percent increase from 2010 when fewer than 460 units were purchased for at least $1 million each in Miami-Dade.

Weeks into 2012, an additional 100 luxury units are already under contract waiting to transact.

Topping the list for the most expensive condo resale in the year 2011 is a penthouse in the Setai Resort & Residences in Miami Beach that sold for $21.5 million.

A pair of units in towers on South Pointe Drive in Miami Beach’s South of Fifth neighborhood rounded out the top three rankings for the highest priced resales for 2011.

In separate transactions, buyers paid $11.5 million for a penthouse in the Apogee condominium and $10.6 million for a high-floor unit in the Continuum On South Beach, respectively.

The resurgence in the luxury resale market has inspired an increasing number of owners – who had previously been unwilling to accept lower prices during the last five years of the real estate crash – to put nearly 1,000 condos on the resale market with an asking price of at least $1 million each.

Nearly 20 ultra-luxury condominium units are on the resale market for at least $10 million each with one unit asking as much as $38 million in the wealthy enclave of Bal Harbour.

Developers are also taking notice of the resurgence in the luxury condo market.

At least five new luxury condo towers – ranging from the one-unit-per-floor Regalia to the drive-the-car-to-the-unit Porsche Design Tower in Sunny Isles Beach – are planned or under construction in Miami-Dade County where the proposed sales prices are expected to surpass $1 million each.

The luxury condo revival in Miami-Dade County is not occurring at the same pace in Broward County where foreign buyers play a somewhat more limited role in transactions.

Buyers purchased less than 70 luxury condo resales in Broward County in 2011 compared to 100 high-priced units at the top of the market in 2006.

On a year-over-year basis, 2011 luxury condo resales in Broward County are up 11 percent from 2010 when 61 condos traded at a price of at least $1 million each.

Going forward, it is unclear if the Miami-Dade luxury condo market can maintain the resale pace given the current economic challenges in the European Union with the erosion of the Euro currency, the adoption of unpopular austerity measures and a series of downgrades by at least one influential rating agency.

Western European buyers from counties such as France, Germany, and Italy represent 19 percent of the estimated $318 million in monthly sales in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach market attributed to foreign investors, according to an August 2011 report by the National Association of Realtors.

After buyers from Venezuela, the Western European buyers are the second largest concentration of $1 million buyers of any international group purchasing in Florida, according to the report.

An estimated 12 percent of Venezuelan buyers spend at least $1 million while six percent of Western Europeans are purchasing in that high-priced category.

By comparison, an estimated two percent of buyers from Brazil spend $1 million and one percent of buyers from Canada are in the high-end price range, according to the study.

Another issue facing the Miami-Dade County luxury condo market is the growing number of units available for purchase on the resale market aside from the unsold developer units remaining from the last real estate boom.

Even at the strong 2011 resale pace of an average of nearly 50 units per month, Miami-Dade County has about 20 months worth of high-priced condos currently available for purchase.

Many industry watchers consider a healthy market to have about a six-month supply of inventory.

Reinvigorated sellers with optimistic pricing expectations are another issue facing the luxury condo market.

Sellers of luxury condos are currently seeking a median price of more than $1.75 million in 2012 compared to median transaction prices of $1.6 million in 2011, $1.5 million in 2010, and $1.51 million in 2006.

Given the emerging economic and psychology issues combined with continuing challenges associated with obtaining financing, it is unknown if the Miami-Dade County luxury condo market can maintain the 2011 sales momentum into the latter half of the year once the winter tourism season ends in the second quarter.

Peter Zalewski is a principal with the Bal Harbour-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures. Zalewski, who has had a Florida real estate license since 1995, works as a consultant for private equity groups and institutional investors

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/22/v-fullstory/2601915/miami-dades-luxury-condo-resale.html#storylink=cpy

Just below, you will find a quick list of some of the recent sales in and around Miami Beach. But, first, a few quick items that I would like to share.

OUR FEATURED EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY THIS WEEK
Continuum North Tower – Unit 1103
Price: $1,975,000
Zilbert’s Jeffrey M. Miller is featuring a customized 03-type line apartment at South Beach’s famous Continuum condo complex. This North Tower condo has 2 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms and a guest bathroom. You get both East and South views, framed with floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The condo offers lustrous white marble floors, surround sound, Lutron lighting, electric shades and custom mahogany doors. The kitchen has been upgraded with stainless steel Miele appliances, hidden SubZero refrigerator and marble countertops. The bathrooms feature Waterworks marble, mosaic & stone upgrades. Take advantage of Continuum’s resort style amenities. Click on photo above or visit http://www.zilbert.com/miami_south_beach_condo_details.asp?R=A1585812.

GOOGLE+ – WHAT IS IT? – It seems these days that we hear about social media everywhere. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, what does it all mean? Am I missing out? Well, simply-put, if you are someone who doesn’t quite “get it”, you are not alone. It may seem, to some, that many of these tools demand an extraordinary amount of time to manage and contribute to. Next month I will be hosting a web seminar to help our customers get a high level overview and understanding of the importance of social media in today’s world. You may be surprised how relevant some of these tools are to everyday life. And, I will help you find the best way for you to get involved in social networks. Leave it to me. I will make it very easy. In the meantime, I encourage everyone to start to discover Google+. It is a new and late entry to the social media world, however, the experts are predicting that it will become the biggest and most important. Why? Well, very simply, it’s integrated into Google. And Google is the #1 search engine in the world. That’s what makes it important. Please create a Google+ account for yourself, and follow our ZILBERT page. You can easily find us here: http://gplus.to/Zilbert. And, to create your own Google+ page, go to http://plus.google.com.

The Most-Recent Condo and Home Sales (newest ones show first)

ZILBERT INTERNATIONAL REALTY RECENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

We have made a number of announcements recently, and in case you missed them, here are some links to pages on our sites that outline the details of our announcements.

The Zilbert Realty Store: We are opening the first in a series of retail stores that offer a real estate buying and learning experience to our customers. Visit our announcement page for more details: http://www.zilbert.com/store

The Zilbert Hiring Campaign: We are doubling our staff this year, and we are looking for the best-of-the-best talent, REALTORS and BROKERS to join our staff. See how we are one of the most-progressive employers in real estate: http://www.zilbert.com/join

Zilbert Headquarters For Sale: The Zilbert Realty Store will be our new headquarters, and we are selling our existing headquarters site, an office condo suite on Lincoln Road. We are selling our office with everything, KNOLL furniture, Xerox WorkCentre, Nortel Phone System, FOB-door access, camera system plus much more. Everything is included. So, it’s a great way to move into an office that’s ready to go! And, for investors, this makes a great opportunity to purchase an income property. The office is a condo suite within an office condo building, which gives you the benefit of ownership without the expense burden of a whole building. You even get nightly housekeeping as part of your condo maintenance fee. I have put details and photos on our website here: http://www.zilbert.com/605lincoln230.asp

Let me know if you have any questions. Brokers are also welcomed!

SOME QUICK LINKS TO OUR HOT LISTS

See Zilbert’s Weekly Showcase: http://www.zilbert.com/showcase.asp
See Miami Beach’s 100 newest properties listed for sale: http://www.zilbert.com/100_newest_listings.asp
See Miami Beach’s 100 most-recent properties sold: http://www.zilbert.com/100_most_recent_sales.asp
See Miami Beach’s most-expensive properties sold: http://www.zilbert.com/100_most_expensive_sales.asp

Zilbert Realty Group, a Miami-based luxury real estate brokerage company, announced today that it has rebranded itself as Zilbert International Realty, a name and branding change that reflects the company’s recent introduction of global real estate services. Globally, the firm’s network of brokers enables it to offer its clients more than 49,000 properties in over 100 countries. Locally, the firm is adding staff and other resources that specialize in the sales and marketing of luxury homes and estates in Southern Florida. Up until recently, Zilbert Realty Group was focused mostly in the Miami and Miami Beach condo market.

Zilbert International Realty President and CEO, Mark Zilbert, declares that “We have an incredibly-high level of customer satisfaction. It is the loyalty of our customers that has enabled us to build and grow a luxury company in a crowded and competitive marketplace”. He goes on to explain that “We mix traditional one-on-one customer service with intelligent salespeople and smart technology. That’s the key to selling real estate today.”

The company was heralded in December 2011 when it brought one of its clients to purchase a penthouse at The Setai condo in Miami Beach. This $21.5M sale became the highest price ever paid for a condo in Miami or Miami Beach. Zilbert is also well-known for its award-winning website (http://www.Zilbert.com), which serves over 55,000 visitors each month. Zilbert’s next move is to set yet another set of real estate industry milestones with its soon-to-be-announced mobile computing and social media real estate platforms.

ABOUT ZILBERT INTERNATIONAL REALTY Zilbert International Realty is full-service premium real estate brokerage that works with clients from around the world. It specializes in luxury estates, condos, homes and vacation properties in Southern Florida, including the greater Miami area and Miami Beach. It also offers luxury properties in over 100 countries through its worldwide network. Zilbert’s real estate professionals are an elite team of specially-selected salespeople, each recruited through an invitation-only selection process.

The firm is a leader in the use of technology marketing and social media to help it engage with its clients, and offer them real-time collaboration tools. Its core business philosophy is to build personalized, one-on-one relationships with buyers and sellers of real estate, and to help them through every stage of a real estate transaction. Its personalized business model enables it to understand each customer’s individual needs, and to work with them both as a peer and as an advisor.

Zilbert International Realty was founded in 2003 by Mark Zilbert, a Montreal-born real estate guru and technology innovator. Mr. Zilbert has appeared on numerous national news programs including ABC’s 20/20, CNBC, CBS’ Morning Show, ABC’s Nightline. He has also been quoted in the Wall Street Journal.

The firm offers a number of ways for its customers to interact with it. Its traditional business operation offers buyers and sellers of real estate access to sales professionals via its offices, by telephone, on the web, and in person.

The Zilbert Realty Store ™ is a retail-like shopping experience located in South Beach that enables buyers to browse property listings and meet with real estate professionals in a “no pressure” setting. Visitors to the store are offered free parking and free Wi-Fi.

The Zilbert Social Community ™ is a managed, content-rich online community that lives in Google+, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare and other technologies. The community enables Zilbert staff to inform, educate, interact with and advise the general public in all areas of their local communities, as well as in real estate topics. The community is available across all desktop and mobile platforms.

Zilbert On Demand ™ is a web-based video YouTube channel that is designed to offer the general public frequently-updated community and real estate news.

Zilbert.com is an interactive website and community that hosts over 10,000 Miami-area condos and homes, plus offers live chat and downloadable floor plans. The site operates both in desktop and mobile devices, including the iPad and iPhone.

###

BIG REAL ESTATE TRENDS FOR 2012 – I have just returned from a week at the Inman News Real Estate conference in New York City, where real estate and technology titans were able to present many of the real estate trends that we can expect to see this year.  Interestingly enough, the biggest point of discussion was about HOW buyers and sellers will interact with real estate people and between eachother.  Here is what we learned:

• The use of mobile tools, by buyers and sellers, will explode this year.  It seems, also, that the trend is for software developers to be targeting more tools for iOS products, namely the iPhone and iPad.  Expect your Apple devices to get some brilliant new tools this year.
• Let’s get social!  I have been one of those people who have never really put much time into using Social Media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc).  Well that’s about to change, and for me, at least, it changed this past week.  Tools like Twitter and Google+ will be the leaders in 2012 for people just like you, and I highly suggest that you take some time, get set up, and learn how to fit social media into your everyday life.  It may be a little awkward for some at first, but it very quickly makes its way into your daily routine.
• Follow me on Twitter at @Zilbert, and add me to your circles on Google+ at http://gplus.to/Markzilbert or +Zilbert.  You willl start to see news and other items appear in real-time, and you will have the chance to comment and otherwise interact with me and hundreds of other people just like you.
• Next month I will be hosting an online seminar to introduce our clients to Social Media tools, and how they can be used in your community and/or areas of interest.  I will send you an e-mail invitation, and you are welcomed to attend.  There will be no fee.
• Keep and eye on Zilbert.com, and within the next few weeks your iPad will come alive at Zilbert.com like never before.  The trend with iPads is to move away from Apps and explore the web with iPad’s touch-and-swipe features.  This makes content like Zilbert.com available to anyone, anywhere, anytime without having to visit the App Store.
• Soon, when you drive through Miami with Zilbert.com on your iPhone, you will be able to point your iPhone at a condo building, and you will see what’s for sale.  The same will be true with many neighborhoods around Miami and Miami Beach.  Point your iPhone or iPad at a house, and learn all about it.

HAVE A QUICK SNEAK PEEK AT OUR NEW IL VILLAGGIO PROPERTY – Now that the winter season is well under way (and having spent a chilly week in NYC last week), I am pleased to let you know of an amazing condo for sale at Il Villaggio.  It doesn’t get better than living right on the ocean, right on Ocean Drive, in a private, gated, five-star community.  Priced at just under $2.5M, this condo is ready for immediate use.  So, enjoy Miami Beach now at Il Villaggio Unit 1107, the best in Miami Beach real estate.  You can also find the site listed at www.Zilbert.com, so drop by soon.

BIG, BIG PRESS RELEASE COMING OUT TUESDAY – This Tuesday, Zilbert Realty Group will be announcing some big, big news.  Keep your ears open, and look for my press release, which I will send to you via E-mail.

For more information on the Miami Beach real estate market, browse through some of our links below.  My staff and I are always available to you, so never hesitate to let myself or any of them know if we can be of assistance.

*  *  *  *  *

ZILBERT REALTY GROUP RECENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

We have made a number of announcements recently, and in case you missed them, here are some links to pages on our sites that outline the details of our announcements.

The Zilbert Realty Store:  We are opening the first in a series of retail stores that offer a real estate buying and learning experience to our customers.  Visit our announcement page for more details:  http://www.zilbert.com/store

The Zilbert Hiring Campaign:  We are doubling our staff this year, and we are looking for the best-of-the-best talent, REALTORS and BROKERS to join our staff.  See how we are one of the most-progressive employers in real estate:  http://www.zilbert.com/join

Zilbert Headquarters For Sale:  The Zilbert Realty Store will be our new headquarters, and we are selling our existing headquarters site, an office condo suite on Lincoln Road.  We are selling our office with everything, KNOLL furniture, Xerox WorkCentre, Nortel Phone System, FOB-door access, camera system plus much more. Everything is included.  So, it’s a great way to move into an office that’s ready to go!  And, for investors, this makes a great opportunity to purchase an income property.  The office is a condo suite within an office condo building, which gives you the benefit of ownership without the expense burden of a whole building.  You even get nightly housekeeping as part of your condo maintenance fee.  I have put details and photos on our website here:  http://www.zilbert.com/605lincoln230.asp

Let me know if you have any questions.  Brokers are also welcomed!  SOME QUICK LINKS TO OUR HOT LISTS

See Zilbert’s Weekly Showcase:

http://www.zilbert.com/showcase.asp

See Miami Beach’s 100 newest properties listed for sale:  http://www.zilbert.com/100_newest_listings.asp

See Miami Beach’s 100 most-recent properties sold: http://www.zilbert.com/100_most_recent_sales.asp

See Miami Beach’s most-expensive properties sold: http://www.zilbert.com/100_most_expensive_sales.asp

Mark Zilbert
@Zilbert +Zilbert

Web: http://www.zilbert.com

Your Condo is a Zilbert Condo®

Zilbert Realty Group | 605 Lincoln Rd, #230 | Miami Beach, FL 33139

MIAMI’S TOP SALES IN 2011

	Property	Unit	List Price	Sold Price	Sold $/ s.f.	Bd/Bth	Interior Space	Closed Date	MORE
	13 Star Island Dr		$32,000,000	$25,500,000	$1,699	8/8/2	15008 (1,394.3)	4/28/2011	Click
	Setai	PH-A	$27,000,000	$21,500,000	$3,463	3/2/1	6209 (576.8)	12/8/2011	Click
	1736 W 28 St		$25,000,000	$19,800,000	$1,739	7/7/1	11388 (1,058.0)	7/19/2011	Click
	4580 N Bay Rd		$18,475,000	$15,000,000	$1,138	8/9/3	13186 (1,225.0)	9/26/2011	Click
	94 Palm Av		$16,000,000	$14,200,000	$1,008	8/8/1	14083 (1,308.4)	7/26/2011	Click
	6915 Valencia Dr		$16,900,000	$13,500,000	$1,467	6/8/1	9200 (854.7)	11/1/2011	Click
	3500 Curtis Ln		$16,900,000	$13,419,495	$1,220	7/8/0	11000 (1,021.9)	4/5/2011	Click
	15 Star Island Dr		$10,500,000	$12,720,000	$1,462	9/9/2	8699 (808.2)	11/23/2011	Click
	94 La Gorce Cr		$12,900,000	$11,600,000	$768	9/9/2	15101 (1,402.9)	9/16/2011	Click
	Apogee	PHA	$14,000,000	$11,500,000	$1,678	6/7/1	6853 (636.7)	4/14/2011	Click
	27 Star Island Dr		$12,950,000	$10,750,000	$717	12/13/1	15000 (1,393.5)	5/2/2011	Click
	Continuum South Tower	3604-3	$13,500,000	$10,576,000	$1,643	4/4/1	6438 (598.1)	5/10/2011	Click
	40 S Hibiscus Dr		$9,900,000	$9,350,000	$1,169	8/8/2	8000 (743.2)	5/4/2011	Click
	Santa Maria	4901	$9,500,000	$8,500,000	$850	3/5/0	10000 (929.0)	10/26/2011	Click
	Ocean Club	PH8	$10,499,000	$8,400,000	$1,527	5/6/2	5500 (511.0)	8/15/2011	Click
	Palazzo Del Mare	7163	$9,750,000	$8,150,000	$1,160	5/6/1	7025 (652.6)	2/9/2011	Click
	Fisher Island	7724	$9,450,000	$7,724,000	$1,133	6/5/2	6820 (633.6)	8/29/2011	Click
	Apogee	2101	$8,395,000	$7,500,000	$1,805	3/3/1	4154 (385.9)	9/13/2011	Click
	21 Tahiti Beach Island		$8,150,000	$7,500,000	$662	7/7/1	11336 (1,053.1)	6/21/2011	Click
	Apogee Condo	1404	$7,990,000	$7,350,000	$1,769	4/3/0	4154 (385.9)	6/17/2011	Click
	Oceanside	7734	$8,900,000	$7,250,000	$1,063	5/5/0	6820 (633.6)	7/8/2011	Click
	45 Star Island Dr		$9,875,000	$7,107,500	$671	10/9/3	10598 (984.6)	5/26/2011	Click
	6939 Sunrise Dr		$7,400,000	$6,800,000	$1,064	5/6/1	6388 (593.5)	12/1/2011	Click
	Apogee	1001	$7,500,000	$6,800,000	$1,637	4/3/1	4154 (385.9)	8/26/2011	Click
	4855 Pinetree Dr		$6,900,000	$6,536,289	$630	6/6/2	10383 (964.6)	3/18/2011	Click
	68 La Gorce Cr		$8,200,000	$6,500,000	$1,050	5/7/2	6190 (575.1)	9/15/2011	Click
	Continuum North Tower	801	$7,900,000	$6,500,000	$1,226	5/4/1	5300 (492.4)	5/2/2011	Click
	260 Harbor Dr		$6,200,000	$6,200,000	$2,010	4/3/0	3085 (286.6)	6/14/2011	Click
	W South Beach Residences	UPH6	$6,500,000	$6,120,400	$2,602	3/3/1	2352 (218.5)	7/1/2011	Click
	Setai	3609	$6,950,000	$6,000,000	$2,380	3/3/0	2521 (234.2)	12/8/2011	Click
	Apogee	1603	$6,000,000	$6,000,000	$2,177	3/3/0	2756 (256.0)	10/27/2011	Click
	Setai	PH-A	$6,000,000	$6,000,000	$2,380	2/2/0	2521 (234.2)	3/25/2011	Click
	5380 N Bay Rd		$5,900,000	$5,740,000	$892	5/5/1	6432 (597.6)	4/27/2011	Click
	The Bath Club	3002	$6,900,000	$5,700,000	$1,000	5/5/1	5700 (529.5)	7/20/2011	Click
	1730 W 23 St		$6,495,000	$5,600,000	$939	6/5/0	5962 (553.9)	8/31/2011	Click
	Apogee South Beach	2103	$6,350,000	$5,508,200	$1,775	3/3/1	3103 (288.3)	12/1/2011	Click
	Oceanside	7611	$6,750,000	$5,500,000	$1,132	5/6/1	4859 (451.4)	6/29/2011	Click
	1429 N Venetian Wy		$6,500,000	$5,500,000	$405	8/8/1	13569 (1,260.6)	3/2/2011	Click
	325 Cocoplum Rd		$6,900,000	$5,500,000	$600	6/5/1	9171 (852.0)	11/22/2011	Click
	5328 N Bay Rd		$6,900,000	$5,435,000	$863	6/7/0	6300 (585.3)	10/3/2011	Click
	Bay View	5161	$6,900,000	$5,287,500	$806	5/5/1	6557 (609.2)	6/30/2011	Click
	Continuum South Tower	1106/7	$6,350,000	$5,200,000	$1,188	4/6/0	4378 (406.7)	11/23/2011	Click
	W South Beach	UPH 3	$6,500,000	$5,200,000	$2,142	2/2/1	2428 (225.6)	8/11/2011	Click
	1620 W 21 St		$5,350,000	$5,175,000	$821	5/7/0	6300 (585.3)	11/3/2011	Click
	Ocean Tower Two	808	$5,275,000	$5,150,000	$989	4/5/1	5207 (483.7)	8/9/2011	Click
	23 Tahiti Beach Island		$5,300,000	$5,150,000	$692	4/3/0	7443 (691.5)	8/17/2011	Click
	2 Leucadendra Dr		$6,300,000	$5,150,000	$973	5/5/0	5295 (491.9)	7/25/2011	Click
	10 Harbor Pt.		$5,650,000	$5,100,000	$1,591	4/4/0	3206 (297.8)	6/20/2011	Click
	Ocean Tower Ii	808	$5,675,000	$5,100,000	$979	4/5/0	5207 (483.7)	3/22/2011	Click
	470 W Matheson Dr		$5,984,000	$5,050,000	$1,275	5/5/1	3960 (367.9)	4/1/2011	Click
	Continuum	2101	$5,299,000	$5,050,000	$1,674	3/3/0	3017 (280.3)	5/31/2011	Click
	Continuum On South Beach	2302	$5,300,000	$5,000,000	$1,657	4/4/1	3017 (280.3)	9/13/2011	Click
	Santa Maria	TH3902	$5,480,000	$5,000,000	$872	4/5/1	5733 (532.6)	7/22/2011	Click
	Oceanside	7852	$5,750,000	$5,000,000	$1,089	3/3/1	4590 (426.4)	9/19/2011	Click
	1410 W 25 St		$5,499,000	$5,000,000	$845	5/6/1	5920 (550.0)	6/7/2011	Click
	Apogee	1402	$5,349,000	$4,995,000	$1,610	3/3/1	3103 (288.3)	3/22/2011	Click
	Apogee	1803	$5,400,000	$4,900,000	$1,778	3/3/1	2756 (256.0)	6/6/2011	Click
	Turnberry Ocean Colony	PH3402	$5,940,000	$4,900,000	$861	5/6/1	5690 (528.6)	10/11/2011	Click
	Santa Maria	PH4502	$5,450,000	$4,850,000	$770	5/6/1	6300 (585.3)	4/21/2011	Click
	5465 Pinetree Dr		$4,950,000	$4,750,000	$612	10/11/2	7764 (721.3)	3/31/2011	Click
	225 Leucadendra Dr		$5,250,000	$4,750,000	$667	4/5/2	7126 (662.0)	7/15/2011	Click
	Santa Maria	4702	$5,250,000	$4,700,000	$746	5/6/1	6300 (585.3)	5/13/2011	Click
	The Setai Condominium	2308	$5,899,000	$4,600,000	$1,798	3/3/0	2558 (237.6)	4/1/2011	Click
	5150 N Bay Rd		$5,490,000	$4,568,520	$718	6/6/1	6360 (590.9)	4/26/2011	Click
	6312 Riviera Dr		$6,400,000	$4,500,000	$402	5/11/2	11203 (1,040.8)	2/1/2011	Click
	600 Sabal Palm Rd		$5,450,000	$4,425,000	$818	5/5/1	5408 (502.4)	10/14/2011	Click
	2128 N Bay Rd		$4,950,000	$4,400,000	$774	5/5/2	5682 (527.9)	1/28/2011	Click
	3835 Carole Ct		$4,895,000	$4,350,000	$556	6/6/2	7818 (726.3)	5/9/2011	Click
	1601 W 24 St		$4,250,000	$4,250,000	$590	5/5/1	7202 (669.1)	6/8/2011	Click
	5360 La Gorce Dr		$4,750,000	$4,200,000	$504	7/7/1	8339 (774.7)	8/12/2011	Click
	Oceanside	8044	$4,900,000	$4,200,000	$1,338	3/3/1	3140 (291.7)	5/27/2011	Click
	Continuum On South Beach	2602	$4,534,000	$4,175,000	$1,384	4/4/1	3017 (280.3)	5/20/2011	Click
	1337 N Venetian Wy		$4,500,000	$4,100,000	$700	6/7/0	5859 (544.3)	4/28/2011	Click
	6905 Valencia Dr		$4,500,000	$4,100,000	$911	4/3/1	4500 (418.1)	10/28/2011	Click
	Continuum North Tower	2201	$4,500,000	$4,050,000	$1,342	4/4/1	3017 (280.3)	5/17/2011	Click
	Continuum South Beach	3207	$4,500,000	$4,000,000	$1,354	4/4/1	2954 (274.4)	5/10/2011	Click
	Santa Maria	TH4102	$4,490,000	$4,000,000	$698	4/5/1	5730 (532.3)	3/22/2011	Click
	Setai	3401	$4,000,000	$4,000,000	$1,659	2/2/0	2411 (224.0)	3/30/2011	Click
	2068 N Bay Rd		$4,750,000	$4,000,000	$764	7/6/1	5236 (486.4)	9/20/2011	Click
	2142 N Bay Rd		$4,850,000	$4,000,000	$778	5/5/1	5141 (477.6)	2/15/2011	Click
	3026 N Bay Rd		$5,499,000	$4,000,000	$612	5/6/2	6531 (606.7)	5/31/2011	Click
	10700 Sw 68 Av		$4,490,000	$4,000,000	$381	6/8/1	10493 (974.8)	4/29/2011	Click
	Il Villaggio	1405	$3,999,995	$3,999,995	$1,732	3/3/1	2310 (214.6)	12/15/2011	Click
	The Setai	1701	$5,200,000	$3,950,000	$1,070	3/4/1	3691 (342.9)	3/7/2011	Click
	Il Villaggio	1605	$4,699,000	$3,900,000	$1,688	3/4/1	2310 (214.6)	12/2/2011	Click
	Oceanside	7765	$4,299,000	$3,900,000	$850	3/3/1	4590 (426.4)	8/2/2011	Click
	Oceanside Fisher Island	7232	$3,900,000	$3,900,000	$850	3/4/1	4590 (426.4)	7/7/2011	Click
	5240 N Bay Rd		$4,900,000	$3,862,000	$786	4/4/1	4915 (456.6)	2/4/2011	Click
	3100 Munroe Dr		$4,300,000	$3,850,000	$480	5/5/0	8025 (745.5)	7/8/2011	Click
	Continuum On South Beach	2502	$4,431,000	$3,850,000	$1,276	4/4/1	3017 (280.3)	6/15/2011	Click
	Continuum North Tower	2802	$3,999,999	$3,836,000	$1,464	3/3/0	2621 (243.5)	5/31/2011	Click
	Continuum South Tower	2106	$3,850,000	$3,800,000	$1,515	2/2/1	2508 (233.0)	6/7/2011	Click
	One Bal Harbour	1808	$3,999,000	$3,750,000	$1,357	3/3/1	2763 (256.7)	7/19/2011	Click
	6949 Sunrise Dr		$3,955,000	$3,750,000	$625	5/7/0	6000 (557.4)	10/14/2011	Click
	9440 Old Cutler Rd		$3,900,000	$3,750,000	$353	9/10/1	10615 (986.2)	9/15/2011	Click
	Continuum On South Beach	2202	$4,052,000	$3,700,000	$1,226	4/4/1	3017 (280.3)	7/25/2011	Click
	Bayview	5294	$4,490,000	$3,700,000	$693	4/3/1	5340 (496.1)	8/31/2011	Click
	Acqualina	3803/4	$5,400,000	$3,630,000	$822	3/2/1	4415 (410.2)	2/18/2011	Click
	Carriage House	PH7	$3,995,000	$3,600,000	$744	4/5/0	4840 (449.7)	5/2/2011	Click
	Grand Bay Tower	502	$3,995,000	$3,600,000	$911	4/5/1	3950 (367.0)	10/24/2011	Click
	147 Paloma Dr		$3,950,000	$3,600,000	$554	6/6/1	6495 (603.4)	9/30/2011	Click
	140 Paloma Dr		$3,995,000	$3,500,000	$564	5/5/1	6203 (576.3)	10/18/2011	Click
	400 Costanera Rd		$4,200,000	$3,500,000	$584	5/6/1	5996 (557.0)	11/17/2011	Click
	4515 Santa Maria St		$3,500,000	$3,500,000	$607	4/2/1	5763 (535.4)	7/22/2011	Click
	1101 N Greenway Dr		$3,950,000	$3,500,000	$544	4/4/1	6429 (597.3)	3/25/2011	Click
	Santa Maria Condo	TH3501	$3,999,000	$3,500,000	$611	4/5/1	5730 (532.3)	4/26/2011	Click
	Jade Ocean	PH4405	$4,995,000	$3,500,000	$841	4/4/1	4161 (386.6)	8/5/2011	Click
	Murano At Portofino	901	$3,800,000	$3,500,000	$1,040	3/3/1	3365 (312.6)	5/24/2011	Click
	Continuum Ii	2704	$3,500,000	$3,500,000	$1,611	3/3/0	2173 (201.9)	7/8/2011	Click
	Continuum On South Beach	3004	$3,950,000	$3,495,000	$1,394	3/3/1	2508 (233.0)	10/5/2011	Click
	Palazzo Del Mare	7124	$3,700,000	$3,450,000	$935	4/4/0	3690 (342.8)	5/1/2011	Click
	Ocean Tower One	PH-3	$4,379,000	$3,450,000	$1,059	5/5/0	3259 (302.8)	4/18/2011	Click
	3333 Poinciana Av		$3,750,000	$3,440,000	$523	4/4/1	6573 (610.7)	8/1/2011	Click
	136 Camden Drive		$4,500,000	$3,400,000	$486	7/10/1	7000 (650.3)	2/2/2011	Click
	126 W San Marino Dr		$3,999,000	$3,400,000	$760	4/3/0	4472 (415.5)	6/13/2011	Click
	Continuum On South Beach	1406	$3,750,000	$3,400,000	$1,356	3/2/1	2508 (233.0)	6/30/2011	Click
	Icon Condominium	1801/3	$3,900,000	$3,400,000	$790	4/4/1	4303 (399.8)	6/14/2011	Click
	Murano Grande	3101	$3,495,000	$3,400,000	$854	4/4/1	3979 (369.7)	6/28/2011	Click
	Oceanside	7631	$3,890,000	$3,375,000	$914	3/4/1	3691 (342.9)	12/16/2011	Click
	191 Bal Bay Dr		$3,695,000	$3,375,000	$598	7/8/1	5647 (524.6)	6/15/2011	Click
	2805 Columbus Bl		$3,600,000	$3,300,000	$528	6/7/0	6255 (581.1)	12/15/2011	Click
	Continuum On South Beach	2904	$3,300,000	$3,300,000	$1,106	3/3/1	2985 (277.3)	12/21/2011	Click
	Majestic Towers	1606	$3,915,000	$3,300,000	$1,158	4/3/1	2850 (264.8)	9/30/2011	Click
	Majestic Tower	PH102	$3,490,000	$3,300,000	$971	4/3/2	3400 (315.9)	7/29/2011	Click
	W South Beach Residences	828	$3,600,000	$3,300,000	$1,731	2/2/1	1906 (177.1)	3/7/2011	Click
	4830 Pine Dr		$3,750,000	$3,295,000	$406	6/6/1	8108 (753.3)	5/9/2011	Click
	227 E Dilido		$3,999,000	$3,277,119	$446	7/5/1	7350 (682.8)	6/27/2011	Click
	Continuum	3204	$3,750,000	$3,270,000	$1,304	3/3/1	2508 (233.0)	4/6/2011	Click
	6950 Sunrise Dr		$3,900,000	$3,200,000	$538	5/5/1	5944 (552.2)	8/31/2011	Click
	25 Tahiti Beach Island		$3,900,000	$3,200,000	$410	5/6/1	7813 (725.9)	2/25/2011	Click
	10140 W Broadview Dr		$3,590,000	$3,200,000	$802	4/4/1	3989 (370.6)	6/30/2011	Click
	309 E San Marino Dr		$3,390,000	$3,162,000	$938	4/4/1	3370 (313.1)	4/4/2011	Click
	144 S Hibiscus Dr		$3,395,000	$3,137,500	$720	5/4/1	4357 (404.8)	6/13/2011	Click
	13005 Biscayne Bay Dr		$3,950,000	$3,100,000	$369	5/7/0	8400 (780.4)	5/27/2011	Click
	8230 Sw 53 Av		$3,550,000	$3,100,000	$339	6/7/1	9138 (848.9)	5/9/2011	Click
	4080 Douglas Rd		$3,450,000	$3,100,000	$456	5/4/1	6796 (631.4)	4/21/2011	Click
	145 Orquidea Av		$3,475,000	$3,100,000	$396	5/5/1	7835 (727.9)	7/25/2011	Click
	Oceanside	7755	$3,900,000	$3,100,000	$675	3/3/1	4590 (426.4)	3/3/2011	Click
	The Bath Club Residences	906	$3,900,000	$3,100,000	$750	4/5/1	4135 (384.2)	10/13/2011	Click
	5941 Pinetree Dr		$3,499,000	$3,062,500	$658	6/5/1	4654 (432.4)	7/15/2011	Click
	6885 Sw 92 St		$3,245,000	$3,050,000	$304	8/8/1	10029 (931.7)	9/2/2011	Click
	1260 Anastasia Av		$3,499,000	$3,050,000	$351	7/6/1	8701 (808.3)	8/17/2011	Click
	204 W Dilido Dr		$3,600,000	$3,025,000	$878	4/4/1	3447 (320.2)	5/2/2011	Click
	Il Villaggio	BH-06	$4,950,000	$3,025,000	$852	3/3/1	3550 (329.8)	3/31/2011	Click
	Four Seasons Residences	49F	$3,350,000	$3,025,000	$797	3/3/1	3795 (352.6)	2/17/2011	Click
	7400 Oceanside	7464	$2,990,000	$3,025,000	$955	3/3/1	3169 (294.4)	2/8/2011	Click
	Epic	5207	$3,250,000	$3,000,000	$923	2/4/0	3250 (301.9)	10/3/2011	Click
	Ocean Tower Two	607	$3,325,000	$3,000,000	$838	4/5/1	3581 (332.7)	11/8/2011	Click
	9550 Sw 67 Av		$3,455,000	$2,999,999	$379	6/7/1	7918 (735.6)	5/20/2011	Click
	Porto Vita	1801	$3,459,870	$2,975,000	$579	5/6/1	5141 (477.6)	8/25/2011	Click
	194 Park Dr		$3,200,000	$2,925,000	$564	6/6/0	5188 (482.0)	9/2/2011	Click
	8150 Sw 49 Av		$3,649,000	$2,900,000	$1,118	0/0/0	2594 (241.0)	5/17/2011	Click
	Santa Maria	4204	$3,300,000	$2,900,000	$720	4/5/1	4030 (374.4)	4/8/2011	Click
	Santa Maria	3204	$2,999,999	$2,900,000	$720	4/5/1	4030 (374.4)	5/31/2011	Click
	Continuum The North Tower	2105	$2,950,000	$2,900,000	$1,509	2/2/1	1922 (178.6)	7/6/2011	Click
	Epic	5403	$4,250,000	$2,900,000	$697	3/5/1	4159 (386.4)	5/20/2011	Click
	Majestic Tower Balharbour	1706	$2,950,000	$2,900,000	$1,018	3/3/1	2850 (264.8)	6/22/2011	Click
	Grovenor House Condo	2501	$2,990,000	$2,875,000	$714	4/6/0	4026 (374.0)	6/17/2011	Click
	Continuum On South Beach	1104	$2,995,000	$2,850,000	$1,243	2/2/1	2292 (212.9)	4/28/2011	Click
	3333 S Moorings Wy		$3,250,000	$2,850,000	$519	5/5/1	5495 (510.5)	12/7/2011	Click
	4940 Sw 83 St		$3,299,000	$2,850,000	$436	6/6/1	6538 (607.4)	7/27/2011	Click
	Grand Bay	603	$3,290,000	$2,850,000	$785	4/4/1	3630 (337.2)	8/17/2011	Click
	Santa Maria	2804	$2,999,999	$2,825,000	$701	4/5/1	4030 (374.4)	12/14/2011	Click
	Santa Maria	3404	$2,999,999	$2,800,000	$695	4/5/1	4030 (374.4)	7/15/2011	Click
	Williams Island	PH8	$3,500,000	$2,800,000	$473	5/5/1	5925 (550.5)	7/20/2011	Click
	Turnberry Ocean Colony	2304	$3,300,000	$2,780,000	$744	4/5/0	3735 (347.0)	11/1/2011	Click
	Majestic Tower	PH205	$3,250,000	$2,770,000	$894	4/4/1	3100 (288.0)	7/29/2011	Click
	Turnberry Ocean Colony	PH3404	$3,850,000	$2,750,000	$733	5/6/1	3750 (348.4)	1/7/2011	Click
	Turnberry Ocean Colony	3003	$2,950,000	$2,750,000	$790	5/5/1	3480 (323.3)	4/11/2011	Click
	146 Rosales Ct		$2,950,000	$2,750,000	$628	5/5/1	4376 (406.5)	7/27/2011	Click
	2000 N Greenway Dr		$2,999,000	$2,750,000	$427	6/6/2	6436 (597.9)	6/24/2011	Click
	1500 Ocean Drive	1001	$2,895,000	$2,745,000	$1,183	3/3/0	2320 (215.5)	4/22/2011	Click
	4860 Sw 85 St		$2,850,000	$2,725,000	$395	5/6/1	6892 (640.3)	6/7/2011	Click
	Ocean Tower One	702	$3,395,000	$2,725,000	$761	4/5/1	3581 (332.7)	10/13/2011	Click
	Grand Bay	805	$3,150,000	$2,700,000	$813	3/4/0	3320 (308.4)	11/18/2011	Click
	5901 Sw 114 Te		$2,999,999	$2,700,000	$310	7/6/1	8722 (810.3)	8/10/2011	Click
	6675 Sheffield Ln		$2,990,000	$2,700,000	$680	5/4/1	3971 (368.9)	1/10/2011	Click
	4412 Santa Maria St		$2,900,000	$2,700,000	$456	5/4/1	5924 (550.4)	8/24/2011	Click
	12600 Biscayne Bay Dr		$3,340,000	$2,700,000	$394	6/7/0	6859 (637.2)	9/7/2011	Click
	Green Diamond	3301	$2,700,000	$2,700,000	$489	3/3/1	5520 (512.8)	7/29/2011	Click
	Grovernor House Condo	2201	$3,200,000	$2,700,000	$671	5/5/1	4026 (374.0)	2/10/2011	Click
	Oceanside	7925	$3,000,000	$2,700,000	$816	2/2/1	3310 (307.5)	6/10/2011	Click
	Continuum North Tower	3003	$2,950,000	$2,700,000	$1,171	3/3/1	2306 (214.2)	3/31/2011	Click
	Oceanside	7935	$2,700,000	$2,700,000	$816	2/2/1	3310 (307.5)	4/12/2011	Click
	10236 W Broadview Dr		$3,400,000	$2,692,000	$453	4/4/1	5938 (551.7)	6/30/2011	Click
	9781 Sw 60 Ct		$3,100,000	$2,675,000	$364	7/7/1	7356 (683.4)	3/16/2011	Click
	Continuum South Tower	604	$2,799,000	$2,665,000	$1,163	2/2/1	2292 (212.9)	12/9/2011	Click
	Turnberry Ocean Colony So	3003	$2,950,000	$2,650,000	$761	5/5/0	3480 (323.3)	3/22/2011	Click
	9750 Sw 63 Ct		$2,750,000	$2,650,000	$334	6/6/2	7925 (736.3)	3/10/2011	Click
	441 E Rivo Alto Dr		$3,349,000	$2,650,000	$923	3/3/0	2871 (266.7)	2/15/2011	Click
	620 W Dilido Dr		$2,950,000	$2,650,000	$757	4/3/1	3499 (325.1)	3/30/2011	Click
	4680 Sw 74 St		$2,800,000	$2,650,000	$451	5/4/2	5873 (545.6)	4/29/2011	Click
	Fisher Island	7741	$3,250,000	$2,625,000	$836	3/3/1	3140 (291.7)	7/20/2011	Click
	3190 Ne 165 St		$2,700,000	$2,612,500	$472	5/6/1	5535 (514.2)	6/30/2011	Click
	1800 Bay Dr		$2,990,000	$2,600,000	$505	5/4/1	5149 (478.4)	8/22/2011	Click
	Acqualina Resort & Spa	3106	$2,690,000	$2,600,000	$945	3/4/0	2750 (255.5)	3/16/2011	Click
	One Bal Harbour	409	$2,699,000	$2,600,000	$984	3/3/1	2643 (245.5)	4/28/2011	Click
	Turnberry Ocean Colony	1104	$3,300,000	$2,600,000	$696	4/6/1	3735 (347.0)	2/15/2011	Click
	Ocean Four	PH4101	$3,990,000	$2,600,000	$496	4/5/0	5239 (486.7)	5/9/2011	Click
	Cloisters On The Bay	622	$2,900,000	$2,600,000	$524	3/3/1	4960 (460.8)	6/10/2011	Click
	Setai Resort & Residences	3603	$2,795,000	$2,600,000	$1,492	3/3/0	1743 (161.9)	1/19/2011	Click
	The Setai	3108	$2,580,000	$2,600,000	$2,279	2/2/0	1141 (106.0)	7/15/2011	Click
	8011 Los Pinos Cr		$2,975,000	$2,560,000	$393	5/4/0	6512 (605.0)	12/15/2011	Click
	400 Hampton Ln		$2,899,000	$2,550,000	$622	6/5/1	4100 (380.9)	6/7/2011	Click
	Icon Condo	1503/4	$2,799,000	$2,550,000	$690	5/5/0	3694 (343.2)	5/4/2011	Click
	Acqualina Resort	1901	$2,590,000	$2,520,000	$921	3/4/0	2736 (254.2)	3/21/2011	Click
	Turnberry Ocean Colony	1103	$2,855,000	$2,515,000	$723	4/5/1	3480 (323.3)	5/3/2011	Click
	7841 Collins Av		$2,999,000	$2,510,000	$452	4/4/1	5547 (515.3)	9/29/2011	Click
	Oceanside	7251	$2,490,000	$2,501,000	$796	3/3/1	3140 (291.7)	7/8/2011	Click
	Bayview	5132	$2,800,000	$2,500,000	$698	4/4/1	3580 (332.6)	6/30/2011	Click
	One Bal Harbour	2404I1	$2,500,000	$2,500,000	$1,114	2/2/1	2244 (208.5)	11/3/2011	Click
	Capri South Beach	LP-1	$2,890,000	$2,500,000	$842	3/3/0	2970 (275.9)	4/18/2011	Click
	W South Beach Residences	1204	$2,690,000	$2,500,000	$1,446	2/2/0	1729 (160.6)	1/15/2011	Click
	9205 Sw 58 Av		$2,495,000	$2,495,000	$359	5/5/1	6949 (645.6)	4/14/2011	Click
	6200 Sw 92 St		$3,150,000	$2,475,000	$328	7/7/1	7542 (700.7)	6/15/2011	Click
	6475 Allison Rd		$2,850,000	$2,450,000	$491	5/5/1	4992 (463.8)	5/18/2011	Click
	12805 Biscayne Bay Dr		$2,900,000	$2,450,000	$306	4/5/0	7995 (742.8)	1/27/2011	Click
	One Bal Harbour	1204	$2,495,000	$2,450,000	$785	3/2/1	3120 (289.9)	6/6/2011	Click
	Setai	2408	$2,445,000	$2,445,000	$2,143	2/2/0	1141 (106.0)	5/2/2011	Click
	5711 Pinetree Dr		$2,600,000	$2,440,000	$738	4/4/0	3304 (307.0)	7/14/2011	Click
	4110 Kiaora St		$2,550,000	$2,425,000	$384	5/6/0	6323 (587.4)	9/2/2011	Click
	3350 Poinciana Av		$2,695,000	$2,400,000	$472	5/5/1	5085 (472.4)	9/1/2011	Click
	441 N Hibiscus Dr		$2,690,000	$2,400,000	$507	9/10/0	4737 (440.1)	12/15/2011	Click
	1745 W 24 St		$2,700,000	$2,400,000	$609	5/5/0	3943 (366.3)	7/18/2011	Click
	380 S Hibiscus Dr		$2,350,000	$2,400,000	-	5/5/0	-	4/26/2011	Click
	The Grand Bay	1009	$2,595,000	$2,400,000	$690	3/4/1	3480 (323.3)	3/3/2011	Click
	Turnberry Ocean Colony	2104	$3,650,000	$2,400,000	$643	4/6/1	3735 (347.0)	1/19/2011	Click
	Murano At Portofino	2502	$2,550,000	$2,400,000	$917	3/3/0	2618 (243.2)	5/6/2011	Click
	Seaside Villas	15312	$3,700,000	$2,400,000	$1,437	2/2/0	1670 (155.1)	1/3/2011	Click
	W South Beach Residences	1228	$2,690,000	$2,400,000	$1,778	2/2/0	1350 (125.4)	4/4/2011	Click
	Villa Di Mare	1000	$2,400,000	$2,400,000	$522	5/6/1	4599 (427.3)	6/17/2011	Click
	485 Ridgewood Rd		$2,595,000	$2,396,000	$596	5/5/1	4020 (373.5)	11/4/2011	Click
	One Bal Harbour	309	$2,550,000	$2,385,000	$890	3/3/1	2681 (249.1)	5/9/2011	Click
	The Bath Club	704	$2,595,000	$2,375,000	$596	3/3/1	3982 (369.9)	7/25/2011	Click
	Marquis Miami	PH1	$2,600,000	$2,350,000	$695	4/4/1	3381 (314.1)	6/8/2011	Click
	The Bath Club	806	$2,500,000	$2,350,000	$568	5/5/1	4135 (384.2)	4/29/2011	Click
	Acqualina	2501	$2,390,000	$2,350,000	$859	4/4/0	2736 (254.2)	6/6/2011	Click
	One Bal Harbour	2204	$2,400,000	$2,350,000	$1,047	2/2/1	2244 (208.5)	10/31/2011	Click
	One Bal Harbour	609	$2,995,000	$2,350,000	$889	3/3/1	2643 (245.5)	3/14/2011	Click
	Continuum On South Beach	2002	$2,684,000	$2,350,000	$1,189	2/3/0	1977 (183.7)	3/18/2011	Click
	3631 Matheson Av		$2,390,000	$2,350,000	$280	6/6/1	8381 (778.6)	2/17/2011	Click
	2687 Flamingo Dr		$2,495,000	$2,350,000	$504	7/6/1	4665 (433.4)	2/9/2011	Click
	1233 N Venetian Wy		$2,790,000	$2,350,000	$608	4/4/0	3864 (359.0)	3/11/2011	Click
	Trump Palace	1109	$2,340,000	$2,340,000	$557	4/4/1	4200 (390.2)	2/14/2011	Click
	279 Veleros Ct		$2,495,000	$2,320,000	$520	5/5/1	4463 (414.6)	4/6/2011	Click
	3825 Alhambra Ct		$2,600,000	$2,300,000	$453	5/5/0	5082 (472.1)	6/30/2011	Click
	184 Paloma Dr		$2,650,000	$2,300,000	$477	5/6/0	4820 (447.8)	9/20/2011	Click
	325 Hampton Ln		$2,450,000	$2,300,000	$648	6/6/1	3551 (329.9)	4/1/2011	Click
	442 Woodcrest Rd		$2,490,000	$2,300,000	$530	5/6/1	4338 (403.0)	8/18/2011	Click
	420 W Rivo Alto Dr		$2,500,000	$2,300,000	$621	4/3/0	3701 (343.8)	2/22/2011	Click

As Europe struggles with its debt crisis, American businesses and financial firms are swooping in amid the distress, making loans and snapping up assets owned by banks there — from the mortgage on a luxury hotel in Miami Beach to the tallest office building in Dublin.

The sales are being spurred on because European banks are scrambling to raise capital and shrink their balance sheets, often under orders from regulators. European financial institutions will unload up to $3 trillion in assets over the next 18 months, according to an estimate from Huw van Steenis, an analyst with Morgan Stanley.

This month a team of three bankers from the London office of the buyout giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts headed to Greece to examine a promising private company that cannot get Greek banks to provide credit for future growth. The Blackstone Group agreed to buy from the German financial giant Commerzbank $300 million in real estate loans that are backed by properties, including the Mondrian South Beach hotel in Florida and four Sofitel hotels in Chicago, Miami, Minneapolis and San Francisco. Commerzbank is under pressure from regulators to raise 5.3 billion euros ($6.9 billion) in new capital by mid-2012.

Google too saw an opportunity. It bought the Montevetro building in Dublin this year from Ireland’s National Asset Management Agency, which acquired it after a huge bank rescue by the Irish government.

“There is clearly a restructuring and shrinking of European financial institutions,” said Timothy J. Sloan, chief financial officer of Wells Fargo, which last month acquired $3.3 billion in real estate loans from a bank in Ireland. “And many of the assets they’re shedding are in the United States.”

He added, “We’re keeping our eyes and ears open for the right situations.”

American financial firms are taking the plunge in a troubled Europe despite problems of their own. In the last quarter, JPMorgan Chase, which has taken hits to its earnings, increased its total loans to European borrowers.

At Kohlberg Kravis, Nathaniel M. Zilkha, co-head of the special situations group, is expanding his London team to eight, from two, and hoping to take advantage of opportunities in Europe. The firm is even considering potential investments in the country where the crisis began, Greece, despite headlines warning of a default by Athens or the possibility that Greece may withdraw from the euro zone.

“If no one is willing to turn over the rocks, that’s when you can make extraordinary investments,” Mr. Zilkha said. “The market dislocation in Greece is creating significant opportunities that wouldn’t be otherwise available.”

Besides Greece, Kohlberg Kravis bankers have also been looking for deals in Spain and Portugal, where private companies are having a similarly hard time winning new credit or extending existing loans.

Ireland, whose banks were devastated by the collapse of a real estate bubble rivaling the one in the United States, also has deep-pocketed American buyers like Google circling.

But in many cases, the assets are much closer to home.

Last month, Wells Fargo bought the $3.3 billion in real estate loans, which are backed by commercial properties in the United States, that had been owned by the former Anglo Irish Bank. Wells has also bought $2.4 billion in loans and other assets from the private Bank of Ireland, which is trying to raise 10 billion euros ($13 billion) after a bailout by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

Even with opposition from consumer advocates, Capital One Financial could soon win final approval from the Federal Reserve for its $9 billion acquisition of ING Direct in the United States, one of the year’s biggest banking deals. Based in the Netherlands, ING has been forced by European authorities to divest ING Direct, an online bank, after ING required a $14 billion bailout following the 2008 financial crisis.

Experts expect these kinds of sales to jump as European banks race to meet the June deadline imposed by the European Banking Authority to raise more than 114 billion euros in fresh capital. Financial institutions also have to increase their Tier 1 capital ratio — the strictest yardstick of a bank’s ability to absorb financial blows — to 9 percent of assets.

Banks get a twofold benefit from unloading assets like real estate loans and other holdings; not only do they have more cash, but there are fewer assets they must hold capital against in case of losses, thereby quickly bolstering Tier 1 levels.

Investing in Europe is not without risk; a big bet on European sovereign debt helped bring down MF Global, which went bankrupt on Oct. 31.

And even as they jump into the new deals, some American banks must deal with their own woes, especially the overhang of soured mortgages from the subprime bubble and bust in the United States. Bank of America, for example, has raised billions recently by selling stakes in banks in Brazil and China.

At the same time, even the strongest banks, like Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase, are suffering significant earnings hits from weak demand for loans, moribund capital markets and new regulations that cut deeply into lucrative fees on debit cards and other products.

But American institutions remain stronger than their European counterparts, said Christopher Kotowski, an analyst with Oppenheimer.

“Everyone is going to be cutting staff and shrinking capital commitments but the Europeans are doing it more,” Mr. Kotowski said. In large part, that’s because earlier in the United States financial crisis, Washington forced American banks to take huge write-downs, while raising tens of billions in fresh capital and halting dividends to conserve cash. European banks have been much slower to take those steps.

Besides buying assets from struggling overseas rivals, Mr. Kotowski predicts that firms like JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs will capture more trading business on Wall Street, especially as French banks like Société Générale and Crédit Agricole and other European institutions pull back.

French banks, in particular, have been heavily dependent on American money-market funds to obtain financing in dollars. With many of these funds now pulling back from those loans, French firms are shrinking. This month, Crédit Agricole said it would exit the commodity trading business, while Société Générale said it was getting out of physical gas and power trading in North America.

Inside his firm, Stephen A. Schwarzman, the chief executive of the Blackstone Group, recently cited the $3 trillion estimate of how much European banks will have to unload, and this summer he told investors that Europe was back on Blackstone’s radar after being absent for several years.

“As people become increasingly negative on the environment there, we think we are buying good companies at very good values,” he said.

- Added by Mark Zilbert, Zilbert Realty Group – http://www.zilbert.com

By Peter Zalewski Special To The Miami Herald

South Florida’s condo industry is reaching an almost giddy level of optimism in anticipation of the January session of the Florida legislature, when state leaders are expected to consider — and possibly adopt — language that would permit Las Vegas-style casinos in the economic struggling counties of Miami-Dade and Broward. Real estate developers, sales agents, and units owners alike are preoccupied with visions of how casinos could provide further stimulus for the improving — but still wobbling — South Florida condo market that crashed in 2007 under the weight of an oversupply of new projects.Consider that since the second quarter of 2011, when Malaysian-based Genting Group purchased the Miami Herald headquarters and surrounding land for a possible casino, at least 16 new condo towers with more than 3,500 new units have been proposed in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

The new condo towers are being proposed despite more than 3,700 new units near the coast remaining unsold in Miami-Dade and Broward counties as of Sept. 30. At the current sales pace, the new condos could be sold out by 2013, which does not factor in bulk buyers who are looking to resell units acquired during the scariest times of the South Florida real estate crash. It is not to say all of the newly proposed projects — three of which have already begun construction — will be cancelled if the casino legislation fails next month, but it is curious to see how many projects have been announced since the Genting Group announced its plans for a 10-million-square-foot complex in downtown Miami. Part of the South Florida optimism is rooted in a sudden surge in condo transactions in 2011 by cash buyers from abroad with strong foreign currencies who have been picking up units in bunches. All the while qualified domestic users with healthy down payments have for the most part failed to acquire their own condo units due, in part, to lender apprehension about providing financing for South Florida condos. Under the proposed casino legislation, three licenses — two in Miami-Dade and one in Broward — would be available to chosen groups that commit to spend at least $2 billion for new development, which should spur jobs and future tax revenue. In recent months, representatives from what seems like every major casino operator in the world -—Caesars Entertainment Corp. to Las Vegas Sands Corp., Wynn Resorts Ltd. to MGM Resorts International — have reportedly visited South Florida to explore the prospects of pursuing one of the potential gambling licenses. The optimism brewing for the prospect of casinos has many in the real estate industry hoping that the possible approval of gambling in Miami-Dade and Broward counties could jumpstart South Florida’s condo market, which has suffered financial pain and hardship since the peak in 2006. The bullishness, however, may be overly optimistic for most existing South Florida condo projects where association bylaws regulate the period of time that units can be rented out annually.  Much like in the Las Vegas condo market, only those condo units that can be rented out by the day or week are likely to realize any direct boost in leasing activity, which in turn could translate into stronger pricing rather than the emergence of casinos. For the majority of South Florida condo projects, leasing is limited to three-, six-, or 12-month increments annually. As a result, any boost in pricing would likely occur as part of an overall improvement in the South Florida market.Condo-hotels, however, are the best positioned to directly benefit from a surge in visitors to South Florida. Think of condo-hotel units as a partnership of sorts between individual owners and the property’s flag operator. Some of the best-known South Florida condo-hotels include the newly opened St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, the W South Beach in Miami Beach, the Q Club Resort & Residences in Fort Lauderdale, and the ICON Brickell Viceroy Hotel in Downtown Miami. Many owners of condo-hotel units opt to include their properties into the flag operator’s inventory in hopes their units will be rented when visitors make a reservation or walk into a property seeking accommodations. Typically, a flag operator will split the overnight fee with the condo-hotel unit owner. The condo-hotel owners are responsible for the unit’s property taxes, monthly maintenance fees, daily cleaning fees and the cost of maintaining the interior and furniture of the units based on the guidelines established by the flag operator. For many investors, the condo-hotel concept allows buyers to purchase a unit that is entrusted to the flag operator to rent out and manage on a quarterly or annual basis. Any proceeds owed to the owners are typically used to cover the unit’s monthly expenses including the maintenance fee and property taxes. Despite the convenience, many investors consider condo-hotel units to be unpredictable. Tourism trends, natural disasters and changes in flag operators can play a key factor in the project’s success. Still, condo-hotels have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in Miami-Dade and Broward counties even prior to the South Florida casino discussion. In the first 11 months of 2011, buyers have acquired an average of 32 transactions per month at a median price of $292 per square foot in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, according to the Miami Association of Realtors. In previous years, buyers purchased an average of 17 units per month at a median price of $277 per square foot in 2010 and an average of nine units per month at a median price of $291 per square foot in 2009. As of Dec. 18, 2011, there are 375 condo-hotel units on the resale market in Miami-Dade and Broward counties at a median price of more than $450 per square foot. An additional 70 condo-hotel units are under contract waiting to transact. The median asking price for the pending deals is $276 per square foot, according to the data. As the Florida legislature prepares to decide the fate of full-fledged gambling in South Florida, it is essential for the real estate industry to control its enthusiasm and closer examine what direct impact Las Vegas-style casinos could realistically have on the region’s volatile condominium market.  Peter Zalewski is a principal with the Bal Harbour-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures. Zalewski, who has had a Florida real estate license since 1995, works as a consultant for private equity groups and institutional investors.